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Coping with a Canberra winter

Winter has officially arrived in Canberra. I love bush walks on cold, frosty mornings, but I am not too keen on pouring rain or icy winds.

Wiley is not a fan of the cold, he is also not a fan of wearing a coat which makes things a little tricky. As a rule of thumb if it is wet, windy and cold then I make Wiley wear a jacket. He has two – one is made from oilskin, the other one is a Hurtta dog coat made from a softer fabric. From what I can tell he is happier wearing the softer one.

I prefer the Hurtta dog coat as is keeps his tummy dry as well as the rest of his body. This is really handy as if we stop for lunch I can take the jacket off and when Wiley lies down he doesn’t make the floor wet or dirty. I also carry an old towel or some cloths with me so I can wipe Wiley’s paws if they are particularly muddy.

As far as Wiley is concerned the only good thing about the cold is that his dinner rations have increased by about 20%.This helps to compensate for the extra energy he is expending keeping warm.

What we have been up to the last week

Last week was a social one for Wiley and I. Tuesday we had lunch with my family at a Noodle House in Dickson. I had a laksa which was delicious. Wiley was really well behaved and happily snoozed the lunch away.

Wednesday was mobile dog wash day for Wiley, I was pleased that it was a dry and sunny day as it makes things a little more pleasant for everyone. We also enjoyed a lovely bush walk with my friend and her dog.

Thursday we caught the bus into civic do do some shopping and Friday there was more bus travel so I could meet up with a dear friend of mine for a coffee.

Saturday morning I had a student come over to take some photos of Wiley and I for an assignment and in the afternoon I had a lovely time playing games with my niece. It was a great day for inside activities as it was wet and miserable outside.

Sunday I think I temporarily lost my sanity as I although it was pouring with rain I turned up for Achillies training. I got drenched and was freezing cold but at least I had a great run with my wonderful guides. They were very good at avoiding as many puddles as possible but we had to run through quite a few. We ran over 5km non stop which is the longest I have run in over 10 years.

As always Wiley came to training with me. He was wearing his jacket and remained dry and warm. He stayed with the walkers as he is not a big fan of running.

Yesterday was taxi talk day, I had a great class with some lovely students. Today I headed off to Woolies in Dickson as I wanted to pick up ingredients for some baking that I plan to do later in the week.

The rest of the this week is taken up with meetings and talks so Wiley and I are going to make the most of some down time and enjoy a quiet relaxing afternoon at home.